Hospital Trip
by TARDIS2013
Summary: Sooooo Tony gets sick and winds up in the hospital... Read for the rest Rated T just in case... (All rights reserved) -I do not own Iron Man: Armored Adventures or the Characters
1. Chest Pain & Headaches

Tony Stark sat at his desk fiddling with his physics textbook. He had so much homework to do and he barely put a dent in it. It was a little difficult to focus on homework when his head was pounding like crazy. Rubbing his temples, Tony got up and decided to go down to his lab. Stretching, Tony left his room, swaying a bit as he did. 'What the heck is wrong with me?' Tony asked himself as he steadied himself by leaning against the door frame of his lab, 'I gotta call Rhodey…'

* * *

James Rhodes A.K.A Rhodey/War Machine was on his way home from going to the grocery store when his phone went off. Thinking it was his mom, Rhodey answered right away.

"Hey mom, what's up?"

"Hey Rhodey, can you pick me up some aspirin? My head won't stop pounding." Tony asked in a strained voice.

"Yeah man, no problem. Where are you now?" Rhodey asked, concern laced in his question.

"I'm sitting on the floor in front of my armor in the lab. In all honesty Rhodey, I can't get up. If I do, I think my head will fall off."

"I will be there as soon as possible, don't go and be hero while I'm getting your medicine, okay? The last thing we need is you overdoing it and collapsing."

"Yes, mom." Tony said not bothering to mask his sarcasm. (XD)

Hanging up his phone, Rhodey made one last stop to the pharmacy to pick up the aspirin for Tony when his crime alert went off. 'Damn…' Hopefully, Pepper is at the lab with Tony keeping him from doing anything stupid.

* * *

Tony sat with his back to his armor leaning his head back trying to make the pain a little more bearable. Everything was great until that damn alarm went off. 'Damn it… Can't I have a day off?' Tony thought to himself as he suited up. With Pepper being on vacation and the War Machine armor offline for updates, Tony was the only one available. 'Just don't pass out.' Tony thought as he flew to the scene of the crime.

When Tony arrived to the bank, he noticed two things. One it took everything he had to stand, and Two it hurt to breathe. Not letting it stop him, Tony went into the bank where Count Nefaria's men were too busy loading the money into bags to notice the very agitated Iron Man. Deciding to use the sonic disruptors in his armor, Tony happily took out the idiotic excuses for robbers. Right as he was turning around to leave, a bomb went off sending Tony through a very sturdy brick wall into a dumpster. Groaning, Tony got up and went back into the bank to make sure no one was injured and to find the source of the bomb. When he came up empty handed for the bombing, Tony checked the injured and helped escort the innocents from the bank, then and only then did Tony finally decide to go on home. It was a very uncomfortable trip home. His chest had tightened more and his head was pounding so bad that he thought he was going to be sick. Sighing, Tony kept on going. He was too exhausted to quit now. He had to get home and into bed. He finally reached his lab and got out of the armor but that was all he did.

As soon as he stepped out of the armor, Tony fell to his knees holding his chest. He couldn't take a breath. Gasping, Tony pulled out his phone and called Rhodey.

"Tony, are you alright? I saw you fly over."

"…Rhodey… Help…" That was all Tony could get out between gasps.

"Tony? Are you alright, man?" Rhodey asked fully alert and freaked out now.

"C-can't… catch… breath… Hurts… Help…" Tony tried to explain. But before he could say anymore the pain from his chest became too much for him and he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

"C-can't… catch… breath… Hurts… Help…" That was the last thing Tony said before it got quiet on the other end.

Hanging up his phone, Rhodey took off at a full run. He had been close to home when Tony had called him. Running directly into the lab, Rhodey saw Tony sprawled out on the floor right in front of his armor unconscious. Freaking out completely, Rhodey ran over and rolled Tony over onto his back. Rhodey noticed that his best friend was gasping for breath and felt like he had a fever. 'Damn it… I told him not to overdo it.' Rhodey thought as he picked up his unconscious friend bridal style and took him out of the lab into his house.

Deciding it would be best to call an ambulance; Rhodey laid Tony on the couch and checked him over for any other injuries while on the phone with 911. The ambulance showed up and Rhodey led the paramedics to where Tony laid. As soon as the paramedics saw him they kicked it into high gear. They pulled out IV lines, attaching one to Tony's arm, cut open Tony's shirt and attached leads to monitor his heart rate, and slipped an oxygen mask over Tony's face before gently and steadily picking him up and placing him on the stretcher.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Rhodey asked as the paramedics quickly rushed Tony out to the ambulance.

"He is currently in what we call respiratory distress. If we don't get him to the hospital now he might not make it." The paramedic who had put the oxygen mask on Tony answered.

"Can I ride to the hospital with him? I'm his best friend." Rhodey asked keeping his voice from cracking.

"Yeah, hop in the back." The paramedic said as she and her partner loaded a very pale, unconscious Tony into the ambulance.

The ride to the hospital was frightening. Rhodey never took his eyes off his best friend. 'How could he have gotten so sick?' Rhodey asked himself while looking down at Tony's frail form.

"It must have been festering for a while," the paramedic told Rhodey, silently answering his question, "From everything you have told me and my partner about this boy, he seems to be healthy, active young man. Whatever is wrong with him must have been inside him for a while."

"Yeah, Tony hardly ever gets sick and even when he does he is only down for a day at most. I just don't understand what happened. He said he had a headache and from what I picked up when he called before he passed out I think he was trying to tell me that it hurt to breath."

"Has he shown any signs of having a cold?"

"No, like I said Tony hardly ever gets sick. It's like a super-cool power he has."

Just as Rhodey was going to ask more questions, Tony started to move. He was trying to pull the oxygen mask from his face when the paramedic grabbed his hand and held it, "Oh no you don't," she said as if she was talking to a little child, "That is the only thing helping you breathe. You take that off and you will struggle for breath again. Do you want that?"

This had brought Tony to a standstill. Opening his eyes, Tony saw a blurred outline of a paramedic by his side. Freaking out, Tony frantically started to try and get loose. The only thing that frightened him more than going to the hospital was being in the back of the ambulance by himself. Needing to get loose, Tony started pulling at the leads connected to him and tried pulling the mask off his face once again. He was almost able to reach the leads on his chest when another hand grabbed his other wrist. Thinking it was another paramedic, Tony tried to pull his hand away only to hear, "Whoa man, take it easy. It's alright. Calm down."

"…R-rhodey…" Tony gasped out while looking at a blurred version of his best friend.

"Yeah man, I know how you freak when going to the hospital so I made sure to tag along." Rhodey explained trying to calm Tony down as much as he could.

"So that's why you wanted to come," The paramedic said giving Rhodey a knowing look.


	2. Waking Up

The trip to the hospital felt like it lasted forever, and every second in the back, Tony grew paler. Rhodey had Tony's hand in his trying to make sure that he stayed calm, even though, on the inside, Rhodey was freaking out. Tony had finally let his body give in and passed out from sheer exhaustion while the paramedic steadily monitored Tony's breathing. According to her, Tony's body could give any minute and he could go into what's called respiratory arrest, where his body completely stops breathing. 'Thanks for the info,' Rhodey thought to himself sarcastically.

They finally arrived and the paramedics didn't hesitate to rush Tony into the trauma bay while Rhodey was led away to a waiting room to await news about Tony's condition and give info needed about Tony. While waiting, Rhodey called his mom to let her know what was going on and so that she didn't completely freak when she got to the hospital.

"Hey, mom" Rhodey said.

"Hey, James. Why are you calling me while I'm still at work?" Roberta asked inquiringly.

"Umm… do you remember when you told me only to call when it's of dire emergency? Well, it's of dire emergency." Rhodey said talking in riddles.

"What happened, James?" Roberta replied quickly.

"Tony collapsed in his lab and I had to call an ambulance. They told me that he had gone into respiratory distress and that he could stop breathing at any moment. I'm freaked out, Mom." Rhodey explained trying to make sure his voice didn't crack.

"I will be there in ten minutes. Oh and by the way, it's okay to be afraid for your friend. Just don't let him see it. Love you, hon. Be there soon." Roberta said then hung up, leaving a frightened Rhodey alone with his thoughts.

* * *

_*beep beep beep beep*_

'What happened?' Tony thought to himself as he slowly came into consciousness.

"It looks like we might be able to talk to him. He's coming to."

'Who the heck…' Tony never got a chance to finish his thought before he felt someone touch his left shoulder gently.

"Hey kid, can you hear us? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Tony did as he was asked not knowing what was going on. 'Where am I? Who is the guy talking to me? Just what the heck happened to me?' Tony had so many questions buzzing around in his brain, and as he became more aware he felt something in his hand, something covering his nose and mouth, and he noticed he was lying sort of semi-upward. Forcing the fogginess from his mind, Tony found the strength to open his eyes.

"W-where… am… I…?" Tony asked trying to focus his blurry eyes.

"The hospital. You went into what we call respiratory distress, meaning that your body couldn't take in enough oxygen and your chest tightened because of it. I'm Doctor Montgomery, by the way."

"T-that… makes no… sense… I was… fine… this morn...ing…" Tony tried to explain between gasps, "W-why… am I… struggling… for breath… anyways?"

"We believe you have come down with a case of pneumonia. We won't know for sure until your blood work and X-rays come back though. Just sit tight. Is there someone you want me to find for you?"

"… R-rhodey…" was all Tony gasped out before the doctor turned on his heel and left.

* * *

Rhodey was pacing the waiting room of the hospital. It had been over an hour and still no news on Tony. His mom had called and told him she had to stay at Stark Tower because they needed her help with some paperwork that needed to be sent to the UN a.s.a.p. leaving Rhodey by himself.

"Excuse me, but are you Rhodey by any chance?" Rhodey heard and looked up to see a middle-aged doctor approaching him.

"Yeah, That's me. My name is James Rhodes but my friends call me Rhodey. Is Tony okay?" Rhodey asked quickly, worry lacing his voice.

"I'm Doctor Montgomery, and I am the physician taking care of Tony. Are you of any relation to Tony?"

"I'm his best friend. He lives with me and my family because my mom is his legal guardian."

"Ah, okay. Well Tony's body is under a lot of stress. We believe he has come down with pneumonia. He is stable but needs assistance to breathe. I was sent to come and get you. If you would be so kind as to follow me…" The doctor said as he turned to walk toward the hallway leading to the critical care wing.

"Why is Tony in the Critical Care Wing? I thought he had pneumonia."

"Tony is here because his case is severe. We need to monitor him for at least fourty-eight hours before placing him in a regular pediatric ward."

"Oh, well, is Tony gonna be alright?" Rhodey asked worried.

"As long as he doesn't fight or refuse medical treatment, he should make a full recovery." The doctor said, coming to a stop in front of a door labeled 'CCU 7', "Well this is where I leave you. Tony should still be awake."

"Yeah, thanks." Rhodey said as the doctor turned and walked away, leaving Rhodey to get his emotions together before he entered.

Deciding to knock on the door, Rhodey heard a soft 'yeah' before opening the door to reveal a very pale Tony. Walking over, Rhodey took a seat in the chair at Tony's left side while keeping his eyes glued to the floor. It was so hard to see him like this. Tony was always the strongest person around; he overcame everything. So seeing him like this really scared Rhodey out of his wits.

Looking up, Rhodey let his eyes wander. Tony had an oxygen mask over his face, an IV in his right arm, leads on his chest to monitor his heart rate, was in a bluish hospital gown and was covered up to his waste by a soft white blanket. It was just too much. Rhodey felt the tears well in his eyes.

"H-hey… Rhodey…? Why… are… you… crying…?" Tony asked carefully.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the lighting in this room, it hurts my eyes." Rhodey said, quickly wiping his face.

"I… will… be… okay…"

"Yeah, I know. It doesn't make it any easier though."

"…Yeah…" Tony replied not sure what to say.

"My mom said she would be here as soon as she was able to pull herself away from the idiots at Stark tower. Do you know how bad they have become at filing paperwork now? They had to ask my mom for help." Rhodey said smiling, trying to lighten the mood.

"A-apparently… your mom… knows… what's… best for… my dad's… company…" Tony replied smiling, feeling his chest tighten more after each word spoken.

"Yeah, that's for sure. No worries though. Mom to the rescue!" Rhodey said enthusiastically, looking at Tony for a reply, "Tony, hey man, you alright your lips are turning blue."

Just as Tony was about to reply with sarcasm, his chest tightened and the last thing he heard was Rhodey call his name.


	3. Pepper's Concern (PercyJacksonLover14)

"Help! I need some help in here!" Rhodey called out, "Tony, hang on, man."

Just when he thought he was going to have to yell again, the doctor ran in followed by three nurses pushing a cart into the room. One of the nurses pulled Rhodey back while the doctor started shouting commands at the nurses, but Rhodey didn't hear any of it. He was too focused on the still form of his best friend. 'How could this happen? We were just talking, laughing, finally getting his mind off the fact that he was sick and then all of a sudden he just stops breathing. WHY?!' Rhodey screamed in his mind. It wasn't fair to him or Tony or… 'SHIT, Pepper. She doesn't know about Tony's condition.'

"I gotta step out in the hall. I just can't watch anymore." Rhodey lied. Actually, he wanted to stay put and make sure they didn't do anything bad to Tony but he had to call Pepper.

"Yeah, I think that would be best. There is a waiting down the hall first door to your left."

"Yeah, thanks," Rhodey said as he walked almost ran from the room.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Rhodey dialed Pepper's number.

*Riiiing Riiiing Riiiing*

*Click* "Hey, Rhodey, what's up?"

"Hey, Pepper, are you sitting down? I have some news about Tony."

"Yeah, I'm sitting down. What did Tony hurt himself, or overwork himself?" Pepper joked.

"We don't know. He called me earlier asking to pick up some pain meds, a robbery happened, Tony did his thing, he collapsed in his lab, had trouble breathing, the ambulance, and now we are at the hospital with him in the Critical Care Wing. I'm freaking out, Pepper."

"Give me an hour and I will be there; Just make sure you tell the hospital staff I'm coming." Pepper said without hesitating.

"Yeah, see you soon." Rhodey said hanging up. 'I hope I did the right thing by telling her about his condition. Oh, well, too late now.'

* * *

"Yeah, see you soon." Was the last thing Pepper heard Rhodey say right before hanging up her phone and calling the airport for the earliest flight back home. She found it hard to focus on anything when all her thoughts kept returning to Tony. 'Why didn't he mention the fact that he wasn't feeling well? I would never have gone on this trip had I known about it."

_~Flashback~_

_Pepper had been so excited about her upcoming family trip that she couldn't contain it. As soon as she found out where she was going, Pepper ran to tell Tony about it. And like always, Tony was doing nothing but hanging out with Rhodey since the armor was offline for updates. Pepper ran in and jumped on Tony's lap causing him to involuntarily hit his head on hers, but instead of being mad, he laughed. _

_"It's good to see you too, Pep. To whom do I owe this honor?" Tony said, smiling at her._

_"I wanted to come and tell you that my father has finally decided to take a vacation. I am so excited, I can't contain it!"_

_"We can tell. By the way, don't you knock? Oh wait, look at who I'm talking to: The queen of barging in to someone's house unannounced." Rhodey said laughing._

_"Hey! If someone leaves a door unlocked and "OPEN" I'm gonna barge in." Pepper said with a smile, "Besides I just wanted to come over and show Tony where I would be staying while I'm away."_

_Getting up and pulling Tony with her, Pepper walked toward the door. "Are you coming, Rhodey?"_

_"Nah, you two go. I have a feeling Tony just wants it to be the two of you anyway."_

_"Okay suit yourself. I offered." Pepper said over her shoulder as she and Tony left the house and went to the armory. Smiling, Pepper allowed Tony to take the lead and pull her along with him. Not taking her eyes off him, Pepper started to notice how tense his shoulders were. Even though he had a smile plastered on his face, she still sensed that something was off about him._

_"Tony, are you alright?"_

_Turning toward her, Tony still had that goofy smile on his face and replied, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"_

_"I just… *sigh* Never mind I'm just overreacting that's all. Ignore it, it's nothing."_

_"Okay then, come on we're here." Tony said as she was pulled into the armory. _

_It never failed to surprise her. The armory looked amazing with all the armor it held and the up-to-date/into-the-future computer system. Nothing ever snuck in, and only Tony, Rhodey and herself knew the password to let people into the lab. Walking over to the computer, Pepper started to type in the location where she and her father would be staying. _

_Just as she pulled up pictures, she heard Tony start to cough. Turning around, Pepper handed him the bottled water she was carrying in her purse. Muttering small thanks between the coughs, Tony took the water and sipped it slowly to alleviate the weird feeling in his throat._

_"Tony, you okay?"_

_"Yeah, Pep, nothing a little water can't fix. Thanks, by the way."_

_"Y-yeah, no problem." Pepper said as she fully took in Tony's appearance. _

_Tony looked bedraggled and pale. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping well and from the sound of his coughing, he must be congested too. 'Poor Tony, He always pushes past his limits and overachieves. He's gonna hurt himself if he keeps this up.' Pepper thought to herself as she watched Tony carefully walk over to his computer. _

_Turning toward her, Tony smiled and said, "Don't worry, Pep. It's just a small cough, I will be better after I get some sleep."_

_End of Flashback_

"Pepper, are you alright, sweetheart?" Pepper heard her dad ask concerned, "You were staring awfully hard at Tony's picture. Is he okay?"

"No, he isn't…" Pepper said, tears forming in her eyes.

"What happened, Pepper?"

"Tony is in the hospital. I knew he was sick. I should have stayed there and made sure he recovered. How can someone be so stubborn? I hate it! I am gonna go back home. Tell everyone I'm sorry."

"A-alright… Just be careful, and call me if you need me, you know I will be there as soon as I can."

Running up and hugging her dad, Pepper ran to pack her things before calling a cab and going to the airport. She was determined to get home and be there when Tony wakes up. 'I hope he doesn't get mad when he sees me.'

* * *

*Doctor's POV*

"Help! I need some help in here!" Doctor Montgomery heard. Signaling to the nurses to grab the crash cart, he and his trio of nurses ran for the room of Tony Stark. Upon entry the doctor noticed that Tony was laying too still for his tastes, his chest wasn't even moving. Running to the boy's side, he started laying back the top part of Tony's bed so that way Tony was lying flat and yelled at the nurses to administer medicine while the doctor moved to the head of Tony's bed and moved to insert a breathing tube.

"The tube is too big, hand me a pediatric one." Dr. Montgomery commanded right as Rhodey ran from the room, "Tony, son, you need to stay strong. Hold on, kid, for your friends."

'Holding on is harder… than what… others… believe…' Tony thought right before everything stopped and went black and the pain receded.


	4. Feelings (Also For: PercyJacksonLover14)

"He's crashing! Get the defibrillator going, charge it at 260 joules." The doctor said grabbing the paddles and placing them on Tony's chest, "Clear!"

* * *

A jolt of electricity passed through Tony. He felt it, knew what it meant and all of a sudden, just like being pulled out of the ocean, Tony was pulled back into his body. All of the pain came back in full force as well. Feeling his chest rise and fall hurt most of all. His chest was so tight that he felt like if he took in a breath, the muscles in his chest would rip and tear apart. "We got him back!" Tony heard as well as "That was too close a call for someone so young."

"I need to go and find the boy's friend who ran out of here. Poor kid; must've been scared, seeing his friend like that."

'What? Rhodey ran out of the room?' Tony thought drowsily, 'Makes sense though. I can't even breathe on my own."

Tony heard footsteps enter the room as well as leave the room. The nurse was putting the gown back in place as well as sitting him up in a semi-sitting position, all the while others were moving around the equipment and shooting medicine into his veins. He felt everything they did and when the doctor came back in, he placed a cool hand on Tony's forehead. The last thing Tony heard before surrendering to the coming black sea was "I think his fever is back up…"

* * *

"James, are you alright?" Rhodey's mom, Roberta asked. Seeing her son pacing made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Mom… He stopped breathing…" was all Rhodey said before he finally broke down into tears. Reaching out, Roberta pulled James to her and let him cry. It wasn't often that Rhodey showed how stressed he was, but when he did Roberta or Tony was there to cheer him up. 'My poor baby…' Roberta thought as she held her son close, "Tell me exactly what happened, James. I need to know."

Taking a deep breath, Rhodey complied. He explained everything leaving out the 'Iron Man' part in the story. After Rhodey was done explaining, he watched to see how his mom would react. If she was mad, sad, or worried, she never let it show. Roberta stayed completely silent as she let his news sink in completely. Knowing how close Rhodey and Tony were, Roberta kept herself together. She would cry later when Rhodey wasn't around, but for right now he needed her; and she would be the strong parent both Tony and Rhodey needed.

"Did you call Pepper and let her know?" Roberta asked concerned.

"Yeah, mom, I called her. She said she would be here in an hour." Rhodey told his mom as he moved to stand up. Right as Roberta was going to ask another question, Pepper ran up.

"Rhodey… Where is Tony?" Pepper asked out of breath.

"He is in the CCW, but I was told it would be better if we weren't in there right now. The doctor is currently trying to get Tony to breathe. I don't know how it's going though because they haven't come to tell me anything yet." Rhodey explained to Tony's "girlfriend."

"Umm… Are you the family taking care of Tony Stark?" A young nurse walked up and asked.

Turning around Pepper answered, "Yes. Is Tony okay?"

"Tony Stark is currently on a ventilator. He can no longer breathe on his own."

Wide-eyed, Pepper stumbled. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. 'Tony isn't breathing on his own anymore?! This is all my fault. I should have made sure he was okay before I left.' Pepper thought as the nurse explained everything else.

"According to his blood work and x-rays, Tony has a severe case of Pneumonia. His lungs have so much fluid in them that it has become too much for Tony's body to handle, and as a result he was placed on a ventilator to help support him," The nurse explained calmly, "Right now, Tony has a tube going down his throat into his lungs to help him breathe, so please, do not be alarmed when you see it. He is also unconscious, so that way he doesn't have to feel the tube irritate his throat."

"When can we see him?" Rhodey asked while his mom stood there trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Tony was on life support.

"You may go and see him at anytime and I would advise someone to be here with him at all times in case something else happens. I am not sure if he can hear you, but I heard that talking to an unconscious patient helps them get through."

"Y-yeah, Thanks." Rhodey said as he showed Pepper and his mom the way to Tony's room.

When they got to Tony's room, however, no one went inside. It was as if they were all afraid to see him, not a big surprise there, though. Pepper was the one who reached for the door handle and cracked open the door, but she couldn't open it the rest of the way. Taking a deep breath, Roberta opened the door the rest of the way and walked inside as Rhodey and Pepper followed.

As soon as Pepper saw Tony she started to cry. It was hard to see him like this. Tony was pale as the sheet covering him. He had a tube down his throat with tape holding it to the side of his face, an IV that had two leads connected to it, a white hospital band on his right wrist and he was wearing a bluish hospital gown while lying in a sort of upright position. It was just too much for her to take in. Sitting down in the chair next to Tony, Pepper grasped his hand and began to cry silently. 'How could you do this to yourself, Tony?' Pepper thought as the tears fell onto Tony's hand.

"I don't understand it. How could he have gotten so sick?" Roberta asked.

"He had the beginnings of a cold right before I left. I thought he would be fine after he had a good night's rest. I didn't know how sick he really was," Pepper said between silent sobs, "I'm sorry. I should have stayed back and helped get Tony back to full health. This is my fault."

"Pepper, honey, you couldn't have known that he was going to end up in the hospital." Roberta tried to explain.

"No, but I knew he wasn't feeling well. That alone should have clued me in," Pepper said, "If Tony starts to show signs of being sick then something is wrong. Besides, he always pushes himself and never lets his guard down. Hell, he is always trying to overachieve in everything he does. It's just not right. How can someone be so sweet and yet so stubborn? Doesn't he know we worry about him?"

"It's gonna be okay, Pepper. You'll see. Tony will make it through this and we will be here with him through it all." Rhodey said trying to comfort a crying Pepper.

"I am going to go on home, James. I think I will come back later when Pepper calms down, alright?"

"Yeah, mom, I will probably be headed that way in a couple hours."

"Alright," Roberta said before she leaned down and kissed Tony's forehead, "Be strong, Tony. We all need you around." As if responding to her, Tony turned his head slightly toward Roberta.

"Did you see that? He moved!" Pepper said, not hiding the hope in her voice.

"Yeah, he will make it. See you at home, James." Roberta said before leaving the room and going home.

"Alright, mom." Rhodey said as his mom closed Tony's door.

Looking up, Rhodey felt like someone was smiling at them. Little did he know that it was Tony, smiling at the fact that Pepper was no longer upset, and because he was able to respond finally.

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" Rhodey asked Pepper, who was looking intently at Tony's calm face.

"I think I am just gonna sit here for a while," Pepper said, "Tony looks so calm, do you think he is in any pain."

"I think he is exhausted. He is Iron Man after all." Rhodey said with a small smile on his face, "We all know how stressed he gets as well as how little sleep he gets. After a while it starts to take its toll on the body. Tony needs this rest. Hell, he needs a vacation. He spends too much time in that lab of his."

"I agree, and when he gets better we will all have to go on vacation, together." Pepper said, emphasizing the word 'Together'.

"Yeah, get better soon, man. Then we can all go and have fun for once, without worrying about the city and its safety." Rhodey said as he took a seat on the other side of Tony, "We will be here for you when you finally decide to wake up and join us again."

_**- This is Chapter 4 everyone. I wanna thank all of you who have been following and reviewing my story you have no idea how good it makes me feel. I am going through some rough times right now and all of my frustration is taken out on my writing. I should have Chapter 5 up in a couple days. **_

_**-Read and Review plz. (And if I messed something up, tell me and I will fix it.) **_

_**THANK YOU!**_


	5. Meeting Tony

The next day…

Pepper came awake to the sound of talking. Deciding to open her eyes, she discovered it was the doctor talking to Tony about his condition. Smiling at the small fact that Tony was still unconscious, Pepper cleared her throat to let the doctor know that she was awake.

"Ah, Miss Potts, Good morning."

"Morning, How's he doing?" Pepper asked as she looked at Tony, "Any change?"

"No change, but that may not be a bad thing. It means he isn't any worse."

"Yeah… I hope he wakes up soon. We are all worried about him, especially me."

"I know this is a personal question but…"

"Am I his girlfriend? I guess. I mean we are always together, we go on dates, we have kissed, so if that means I am his girlfriend then yeah. I just feel like 'girlfriend' is a little too junior high, don't you?"

"Yes, I guess you are quite right." The doctor said with a knowing smile, "Things will get better I promise. No worries now, okay?"

"I understand. Thank you."

With that the Doctor said goodbye to her and to Tony, then left the room. Sitting back down in her chair, Pepper pulled out her phone and called her dad to let him know about Tony. He had called earlier but she was asleep.

*Riiiing Riiiing Riii-*

"Mmmmm…. Hello?"

"Hey, dad, How's everything on your end?" Pepper asked carefully.

"Everything is fine on my end. How is Tony doing, sweetheart? Any change in his condition?" Her father asked concerned.

"Well, currently, Tony is on life support. Yesterday, right before I arrived, Tony went Respiratory Arrest and Cardiac Arrest. His body completely stopped for a good four minutes. After I arrived, the nurse showed Rhodey and I back to Tony's room and he looked horrible. He was pale and hooked to all these machines, and worst part is, he can't even respond to us when we talk to him and hold his hands." Pepper explained, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Tony who was lying on the bed.

"Would you like me to come home? I know how much Tony means to you. Hell, he is like my son now, since he started dating you that is."

"No, you need to stay there. If he gets worse, I will call okay?"

"Alright, but don't overdo it. We don't need you in the hospital too. I love you."

"I love you too. Talk to you later, Dad. Tell everyone hello for me."

"I will. Bye."

Hanging up her phone, Pepper decided to stand up and check on Tony. He was regaining some of the color to his face, but his breathing still scared her. Even with that damn machine breathing for him, Pepper can still hear the rattling every breath causes. 'This isn't Tony. Well it is, but it isn't… You're confusing yourself, Pepper, just be quiet.' Pepper thought to herself. Trying to stop herself from worrying over Tony, Pepper focused on fixing the blanket by pulling it up a little more, where it covered his left arm and up over his stomach. Pepper grabbed his right hand and held it for a moment before draping it over his stomach.

"I wonder when you are gonna wake up, Tony. I really miss you," Pepper said quietly as she sat back down in her spot.

* * *

Tony was floating through the blackness. He didn't feel pain or really any emotion at all. He felt calm finally and he kind of liked it. 'For once the city isn't relying on you. You can sleep in peace and not have to go out on night patrol.' Tony thought as he drifted further into the blackness.

"I wonder when you are gonna wake up, Tony. I really miss you."

'Wait, I know that voice. She's… I think… wait a minute, what's happening to me? Who is she?'

"COME BACK!" Tony screamed at the voice, "Please tell me what's happening to me… I know you, but can't place the voice with a face."

As Tony finished that last thought he realized just how exhausted he was. 'Maybe I will remember later…' Tony thought as the blackness consumed him fully once again.

* * *

Roberta sat in her office trying to focus on the paperwork that needed to be sent to the U.N. by noon, but she couldn't take her mind off of Tony. When she saw him yesterday, he had been pale and on life support with little hope of recovery. Maybe today Tony will show improvement, at least she hoped so. Ever since Howard died she, Rhodey, and Pepper had been taking care of Tony. They all tried to make sure Tony was safe, but lately he has been really distant. Of course being Iron Man takes its toll on Tony, she just wished she would tell him about it. 'He will tell you when he is ready. You know how he is: Always suffering in silence.' Roberta thought to herself, 'I have to go see him. I can't focus until I know that he is alright.'

Right after completing that thought, her phone rang. It was the U.N. ambassador calling about the paperwork. She forwarded the call to her secretary and told him that she was going to check on Tony.

"Hope he is doing better today." Michael said in an effort to make her feel better.

"I hope so too. Well, I'm off, see you later. Call if you need anything." Roberta replied.

"Don't worry about work. Go see Tony, hug Rhodey, and try to relax a little. I will see you tomorrow, Mrs. Rhodes." The secretary told her.

Smiling, Roberta walked up and hugged him, then said, "Thank You, Michael. What would I do without you?"

"Suffer alone in your office?"

Laughing, Roberta walked out of the office and headed off to the hospital to see Tony. She couldn't help but smile as she thought of the first time she met Tony. Hailing a cab, she thought back as she looked out the window.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Oh , Roberta, welcome to Stark Tower. This will be your office until you decide to quit working for me." Howard Stark said extending his hand out toward Roberta. _

_"Thank You. I hope I can keep up with all the other lawyers you have here. May I ask…" Roberta didn't get a chance to finish her question as a boy, who was probably 9, ran out from a side room and bumped into her. Looking down, she smiled at the boy. He was a smaller version of the man standing in front of her. _

_"Antony, are you done with your studies yet?" Howard asked in a stern yet soft voice._

_"Yepps, I studied and studied and I think my brain exploded!" Little Antony said, "And daaaaad, it's Tony. TONY, say it with me… TO-NY… hehe."_

_"Awe, I want to take him home with me. I also have a son that age. His name is James." Roberta said to Howard but looking down at the little boy named Tony. _

_"I don't think that is a smart idea. He can be quite the handful; after all he is a Stark." Howard said smiling down at his son, "Okay, Tony, show me what you have done so far."_

_"Can I take the nice lady with me? Wait, Is this the Roberta lady you told me about? Do you like her? Is this her office? Can I show her around Stark Tower?"_

_"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Tony…" Howard said before noticing Roberta's knowing smile._

_"I would love to go with you, Tony. Yes, I am Roberta; I don't know if he likes me, but I like you; yes, this is my office; and I would love it if you would show me around. Does that about cover it?"_

_"Yepps." Tony said smiling and pulling Roberta and Howard along with him, "I wanna show you what I made! It's so cool!"_

_*FLASHBACK END*_

"Ma'am?" Roberta heard as she was pulled from her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just zoned out. Here you go." Roberta said handing money to the cabbie, "Keep the change."

"O-Okay… Have a good day," The cabbie said driving away.

Roberta thanked the cabbie once more before heading into the hospital. Weaving in and out between the doctors was a harder chore than she had originally thought it to be. The first time she had shown up at the hospital there had been a nurse waiting to show her up to the family waiting room, but now she was on her own. She asked where the CCW was and the receptionist led her to the elevator and directed her to go to the third floor. Tony's room would be on the right as she exited left of the elevator.

'Well, here goes nothing.' Roberta thought as she pressed the '3' button headed up to see how Tony was.


End file.
